Newb Question about hot water heater
- Thread starter Jeep07
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
davemittan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2009
- Posts
- 422
You can run them all the time, but since they heat fairly quickly, I see no need to waste resources. We just fire it up 20-30 minutes before we're going to need hot water.
Keep in mind that some light-sleeping campers don't like hearing a LP heater firing up in the middle of the night.
Keep in mind that some light-sleeping campers don't like hearing a LP heater firing up in the middle of the night.
Carl L
Moderator Emeritus
Being lazy, I leave mine on all the time. Dave is a nice guy. Me, if that guy in the 42 foot motorhome next door with his dual mega-BTU air conditioners, and outdoor 54" TV, objects to my water heater kicking in --- tough. ;D
davemittan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2009
- Posts
- 422
Carl L said:
Too funny, Carl! (Especially the part about me being a nice guy. Don't tell that to people - I have a reputation to maintain, you know......)
Your neighbors will thank you for not leaving your water heater on so that it fires up in the middle of the night. And that includes those of us who don't have a 42-foot motorhome with dual A/Cs. I flip ours on in the morning when I get up, turn it off when I'm done washing up then turn it back on while I'm fixing dinner. Plenty of hot water. And some of us don't like hearing our own water heaters fire up (ours is under the closet next to the bed).
Wendy
Wendy
Jim Godward
Well-known member
Wendy,
If the heater is loud, try resetting the air for the burner as it can make quite a difference in the amount of noise.
If the heater is loud, try resetting the air for the burner as it can make quite a difference in the amount of noise.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Just for the record, there is no sound at all if the heater is in electric mode. And a properly adjusted propane burner isn't real loud either. Not silent, though.
tallyo
Well-known member
Yer forgetting about the big boys who have those diesel powered hot water heaters........
S
seilerbird
Guest
Jim Godward said:
How does one go about resetting the air for the burner???
RV Roamer said:
True, but some of us have gas-only water heaters (wish we had gas-electric) not to mention boondocking. The guy next to us at the last rally had a water heater that came on several times during the night. It wasn't loud but it sure wasn't silent either. And who needs hot water at 3 o'clock in the morning?
Wendy
tswms
Well-known member
My water heater is about 18 in from my head when i am sleeping, so needless to say I turn it off at night.
Actually we only run it twice a day. Turn it on when we get up, bu the time I finish my coffee (I don't do anything until I have my coffee)
it is hot enough to shower. After breakfast dishes we turn it off. The water stays hot all day. Turn it on again at supper time and offafter dishes. Probably don't save much propane but just a habit..
Tony
Actually we only run it twice a day. Turn it on when we get up, bu the time I finish my coffee (I don't do anything until I have my coffee)
it is hot enough to shower. After breakfast dishes we turn it off. The water stays hot all day. Turn it on again at supper time and offafter dishes. Probably don't save much propane but just a habit..
Tony
Carl L
Moderator Emeritus
Methinks there may be a class divide here. To turn light my water heater, I must go out of the trailer; open up the heater cover, spent a minute or so trying light the pilot holding the switch and the lighter; and then turn on the heater and make sure that the main flame catches properly; then close up the cover and go back inside. If there is wind blowing, the pilot lighting ceremony goes up to 10 minutes. If it is raining, it does not occur at all, because being a Southern Californian, I tend to melt in the rain,
Electronic ignition has its points.
Electronic ignition has its points.
Ron
Moderator Emeritus
We use electric power for the water heater when provided with the campground fee otherwise we use propane. When on propane we normally turn it on in the morning for showers and leave it on till down with the hot water then turn it off. We find there is enough hot water for the rest of the day.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
The air is adjusted by loosening a screw on the metal tube that goes to the burner and moving the sliding metal sleeve slightly one way or the other. If you get any black soot on the burner tube or exhaust, it is burning rich (too little air) and the slide should be opened. Too lean (too much air) and the burner roars, so open close it up a mite. Adjustments should be VERY small. I believe this is covered in the owner/installation manual.
[edit]fixed error in original[/edit]
[edit]fixed error in original[/edit]
RLSharp
Well-known member
RV Roamer said:
Gary,
Should "Too lean and the burner roars, so open it up a mite" read "To lean (too much air), so close it down a mite"?
Also, for those who have never adjusted their burner tube, "closing down" or "opening up" refers to the air intake holes in the burner tube. The adjustment is made, as you stated, by moving the burner end of the tube back and forth to decrease or increase the size of the air intake holes. On some burner tubes, the burner end of the tube is rotated to decrease or increase the size of the air intake holes. If your air-propane mixture is too rich, the flame will be yellow and lazy. When properly adjusted, the flame will have just a hint of yellow at it's tip and will be mainly blue in color. Also, after tightening the screw, make sure that the tube is straight. If the tube is not straight, the air and propane do not mix properly going down the burner tube and result in a poor flame.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Right you are, Richard. My mind must havebeen wandering!
I edited the original to correct it.
I edited the original to correct it.
